Oakland - the most under-rated city of its size.
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4/10/2006
Like many people living in San Francisco, I used to look down my nose at Oakland. To me, it was San Francisco's ugly stepsister. I moved there when I got married 37 years ago, but not because I really wanted to.
The longer I have lived here, there more I have cme to appreciate it. I now feel that it is one of the most underrated cities of its size in the entire country. It has the best climate of any medium-sized city, with very moderate temperatures year round.
It has a lot to offer in every area, including the rich flavor of cultural diversity of all types. And, if you should want even more, Berkeley is right next door and San Francisco is just a few miles across the Bay,
Yes, it is expensive to live here, mostly because of high real estate prices, but it not as bad as San Francisco or many other places. Howver, the pay scales here are commensurate to the cost of living, so that makes up for it.
The crime rate is rather bad overall, but it is mostly confined to certain areas of the city which are generally easy to avoid.
The worst thing about Oakland is its schools, but even they are improving.
All in all, Oakland has been a great place to live and raise three children. If I had my life to live over, one thing I would do differently is move here sooner than I did.
Jim | Oakland, CA